[DrSheep]

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/i5-audiophile-battery-case-for-iphone/x/5949678
 

 
Please fund this.

 

[mgoodman]

We are very excited to be diving into this head on. The tech transfers from HiFi-M8, so this is familiar ground. But making it small was quite tricky! Planning to have a proto at RMAF if anybody is going. We will be in the Canjam area.

 

[eron]

We are very excited to be diving into this head on. The tech transfers from HiFi-M8, so this is familiar ground. But making it small was quite tricky! Planning to have a proto at RMAF if anybody is going. We will be in the Canjam area.

Does the tech transfer from the HiFi-M8 include the inability to play 24/96 direct from iOS which was promised, but later put on the lowest priority if not forgotten?
 
Do the Mini-M8 and i5 have the same limitation, level of support and after-sale communication as the HiFi-M8?
 
 
April 2014 Quote:

  Dear All,
 
Just a quick update I received regarding the 24/96 update situation:
 
 
`We (CEntrance) have been beating our heads up against this wall for over a year now ..........  iPhone is not as friendly as we were hoping it would be.

Please let the head-fi folks know that while Michael is traveling the world, our team of dedicated engineers back home are working hard on finding the solution. If anyone could do that, it would be CEntrance.

That's all I can say at the moment, but more soon.` -David/Centrance.
 
 
 
Regards
expat.
 

 
http://centrance.com/products/new/blog/2013/08/12/update-on-2496/

 
Here is a quick update on 24/96 support.

Note that this only applies to the HiFi-M8 regular.

HiFi-M8 LX is not affected by anything in this post.

We finally cracked the bug with the bootloader that prevented the field upgrade from working correctly. We are testing a new bootloader code here, to make sure everything is done correctly and no bugs are lurking within.

As a quick reminder, the 24/96 capability was originally envisioned as a field-upgradeable firmware download.

We created a mechanism to upgrade the firmware in the field, and that mechanism works well. However we found that it didn’t work well for precisely one type of an upgrade — the 24/96 upgrade.

This was frustrating and we promised to all early adopters that we will pay to have their HiFi-M8 shipped back to CEntrance so that we could perform the upgrade. That offer still stands.

All of the early adopters will get the free upgrade to the new bootloader, which will allow them to download the 24/96 code when that becomes available.

The 24/96 feature itself is not available however. We are still working on that. Just to give you a glimpse into the complexity of the beast, HiFi-M8 has several operational modes and it boots into the appropriate mode depending on which device is in front of it. There is a lot of hoop-jumping to do. We have created the “hoops” for ourselves to jump through with the new bootloader code  (the ability to switch modes). Now we are actually jumping through the very hoops we have created (developing the actual 24/96 capability). Yes, this is extremely convoluted and difficult. We may have 24/96 working in late September or early October.  That’s the current estimate.

For all early-birds, the new bootloader and 24/96 will be free.

Here is the  extra benefit of being an early-bird: 24/96 functionality might end up being a paid mod for new customers.

 

 

[mgoodman]

Look. Don't be bitter. We still delivered an exceptional, first-of-a-kind product that thousands of people wholeheartedly enjoy. I wanted to get 24/192 out of the iPhone. And with the CCK you can do it. We could not put the functionality of the CCK inside the M8. This required more than a firmware update. Apple did not make this easy for anyone.

But i5 is different in that it contains the lightning jack as part of the design. It's like integrating the CCK inside the product. Here we have access to the nitty gritty the way we don't yet in HiFi-M8, where we are still working on that, we have not given up.

So while I must apologize for the fact that our promise for hi-res in the HiFi-M8 didn't yet come through, I think that part of the frustration is underpinned by the fact that it's otherwise a great product.

And having said that, yes, it's become more difficult to follow multiple large threads here, managing other social media channels, and developing new products. We are still a small company. You are basically looking at a one-man operation when it comes to customer relations. Not complaining, just saying that we need to find a way to do it differently. And we will. Meantime, as a hint, I reply to all emails so if you would not mind asking a question and then posting my answer here you will help out a lot of people at once. I must really thank Damon for being that guy.

 

[eron]

The HIFI-M8 is a stellar product. So is the CEntrance DACport which I have as well.
 
As a small company, if you choose not to manage external communication channels or even just email your customers, my suggestion is to have a development page on your website that updates interested CEntrance owners on the developmental progress of each product. It can be a simplified one page progress chart.

 
http://www.tomsplanner.com/

 

[mgoodman]

Very interesting! Thanks a bunch, will research with the team next week. Have no issues about posting about our progress, as long as it's relatively easy to do.

 

[Luthus]

As an avid owner of VentureCraft's Unit 4.0s, which I use heavily on a daily basis, this intrigues me immensely.

 
I am aware that the product is still in its early stages, however, I have some questions I would like to have answered (where applicable), to get me really excited about this!
 
Can I listen to music with the i5 be used while it is being charge? If not, how long is the expected charge time? How mAh is the battery are you expecting to utilise to power this beast?
 

• Can I listen to music with the i5 be used while it is being charge? If not, how long is the expected charge time? What is the mAh of the battery are you expecting to utilise to power this beast?
• Can I still listen to the iPhone when the i5 is out of power without taking it out of the i5 (as the headphone jack appears to be covered)?
• Having analysed the design of the i5, the iPhone i5 case section appears to be detachable, or is that a door mechanism?
• Follow the above question, will this mean that the iPhone will need to be detached for wired connectivity with a computer?
• It also looks that the i5 will be charged via AC charger. Can this charge the iPhone directly as well?

 
Cheers,
 

 

[mgoodman]

As an avid owner of VentureCraft's Unit 4.0s, which I use heavily on a daily basis, this intrigues me immensely.



 


I am aware that the product is still in its early stages, however, I have some questions I would like to have answered (where applicable), to get me really excited about this!


- Thank you for your questions, please see below.

 

1. Can I listen to music with the i5 be used while it is being charge? If not, how long is the expected charge time? What is the mAh of the battery are you expecting to utilise to power this beast?
   - Yes, the iPhone can be used while being charged. The battery is expected to be 2500mA.
   
   
2. Can I still listen to the iPhone when the i5 is out of power without taking it out of the i5 (as the headphone jack appears to be covered)?
   - If the i5 battery runs dry, you can listen to the iPhone in the speakerphone mode. But to use it's headphone jack, you need to remove it from the case.
   
3. Having analysed the design of the i5, the iPhone i5 case section appears to be detachable, or is that a door mechanism?
   - It's a removable cover that makes it easy to take the phone in and out of the case.
   
   
4. Follow the above question, will this mean that the iPhone will need to be detached for wired connectivity with a computer?
   - Yes, detachment is needed. These days wireless connectivity is all you need however, so the need to detach is minimized.
   
   
5. It also looks that the i5 will be charged via AC charger. Can this charge the iPhone directly as well?
   - Yes, one power supply will charge the iPhone and i5 at the same time, quickly.
   
   
   

 


Cheers,

 

[Luthus]

Great! Thank you for answering my questions, I'm sold!

Now to find an iPhone 5/s 64GB. Update: Bought an iPhone 5 64GB within 2 minutes. Hyped.

 

[bluemonkeyflyer]

I signed up for the indiegogo i5 based solely on the reputation and performance of stellar products and top notch customer service from past experience with Michael G. and Centrance...and I don't even own an iPhone 5S.
 
I'll buy an iPhone 5S for the sole purpose of pairing it with Centrance i5.

 

[bluemonkeyflyer]

PS: Where is everyone?! These are the same guys and girls that crowd-sourced the awesome HiFi M8.
 
Disclaimer: I have NO connection with Centrance and No financial attachments/conflicts of interest with them. 
 
Support Centrance...They're "The Good Guys."

 

[mitsu763]

While I have no doubt this will be a great sounding product, I question the limitations to a single source. What happens when you are no longer using the iPhone 5?

 

[Luthus]

My thoughts these days are, "should I get a second one, or wait and see what the iPhone 6 version brings...".

 

[mgoodman]

A quick update. We have already developed the i6 version and will be shortly updating the campaign to include that option as well.

We are considering offering a trade-In program to customers of the i5 to ease the transition to the i6 when the time comes. I know, apple doesn't do that. We are not apple though let us know if you have any questions or issues with that.

 

[bluemonkeyflyer]

MG,
 
I haven't decided about iPhone 5S or 6. I signed up for CEntrance i5 on Indiegogo but wondering if you will allow switching to i6?
 
Thanks!
 
BMF